A student-built solar car has broken the world record for fastest solar-powered vehicle.
Last week, we told you that the students at the University of New South Wales were trying for a record run in Sunswift IV -- affectionately known as IVy. Last Friday, with racer Barton Mawer behind the wheel, the previous record of 49.09 mph was shattered when IVy was clocked at a 55.14-mph average over two 2500-meter (1.56-mile) 500 meter (0.31 mile) runs in opposite directions at an Australian Air Force navy base in the town of Nowra. IVy's top speed through the lights was 56.85 mph.
"It was a long road but we're really happy with the result," said Sunswift project manager Daniel Friedman.
According to Mawer, the car was steady on the road, though the handling dynamics changed after the team removed the 55-pound on-board battery that was designed to power the car on longer journeys.
"The car is designed to travel at these speeds, so the aerodynamics meant the car was steady," Mawer said. "However since we were going for solar only, we removed the battery that normally sits in the front which meant the car wanted to move a little from side to side. But I felt safe the whole time and with improvements feel confident the car could handle going faster!"
And go faster is exactly what the team plans to do. Currently, they're optimizing IVy for the upcoming World Solar Challenge to be held in October. "We also plan to take the solar car on a school tour around Australia to try and generate some excitement amongst children who might consider doing engineering or science when they go to university," Friedman said.
Not only does the Sunswift team hope to inspire the next generation, but they also aim to inspire their competitors to advance the field of solar automobiles.
"We hope it spurs a bit of excitement about designing and building ultra-efficient electric vehicles," Friedman said. "Our vision is hopefully that a few other teams take on the challenge and try break this record again. We might even find some designing cars specifically geared toward breaking this record, and in the process develop even more efficient cars."
That's a goal we can definitely get behind.
Photos: University of NSW
